Hitch Hiker Discover America by Nu Wa - Montana Owners Club

Montana_2992 · 02-02-2005, 04:27 AM

As many of you may know, my wife and I are looking to purchase a new 5th wheeler (we need to sell our old home before we can make the purchase). My wife very much likes the features and floorplans of the Hitch Hiker Discover America Series by Nu Wa. Because I have the greatest respect for the feelings and opinions of the experienced "Towmeisters" in this club, I would very much appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on the Hitch Hiker line.

P.S.: If it's considered "bad form" to discuss other makes of RV trailers in this group, you have my humblest appologies.

- Codfish - (on snowy Cape Cod)

Glenn and Lorraine · 02-02-2005, 06:12 AM

Having no actual working knowledge about the HitchHiker I can hardly form a viable opinion. However, At the Tampa RV show I had gone thru a couple of the Hitch Hiker 5ers and for whatever personal reasons Lorraine and I didn't care for them. And that is what it comes down to "Personal Reasons". I can't honestly say what the reasons were, it may have been fit and finish or bells and whistles. I only know we weren't overly impressed.

You didn't mention the particular Hitch Hiker floor plan she liked. I have found that nearly every 5th wheel manufacturer has the same basic floor plans and from 2 to 4 slides. If Hitch Hiker has it chances are good the Montana does too.

By the way---In my opinion it's never considered "bad form" to discuss other makes of RV trailers. Tt is bad form to berate another manufacturers product without some sort of actual working knowledge of their products. The old "he said, she said" never worked for me.

Montana_2753 · 02-02-2005, 08:50 AM

Before I bought my Big Sky, I had seriously been considering the HH Discover America, the King of the Road and the Landmark (a new 5ver by Heritage), all having the same basic floorplan and length. All four are, in my opinion, very good trailers, so it comes down to price/value/floorplan/usage. Only you can determine those values and weigh the + and -. It took me over 2 years to come to the point of buying my unit and it was because of the factors previously listed, especially p/v/fp. Until I came across this particular unit, I was going to buy new, but got such a good deal, I believe, and heard of the good reputation of the Montanas, that I made the big leap and bought it.

stiles watson · 02-02-2005, 09:23 AM

If there is a HitchHiker forum, that might be the place to peruse to find the ins and outs of owning one. RV's are like cars and trucks. If you like it, you like it. All of us Monty owners drive Fords, Chevys and Dodges. We agree on the Montana, but not on the truck. Maybe you can strike up a conversation with an HH owner on RV.net, especially under the "fulltimer" subgroup.

None of my suggestions should be construed to indicate a lack of welcome on the MOC. Just want to help.

DiananColin · 02-02-2005, 12:10 PM

Choice of fiver may be similar to choice of spouse - do we really know how to quantify our choice - we just knew when we fell in love - spouse & fiver! Your choice may not be mine. In all sincerity though, we also have looked at many, many fivers of many makes and have yet to find anything we liked better.

Good luck with the search - the chase can be as much fun as the catch!

sreigle · 02-02-2005, 02:06 PM

In my opinion, Nu-wa is an excellent company with a reputation for high quality. We looked at Hitchhiker and Hitchhiker II, among others, before buying our Montana (both times) and found them to be excellent choices. In our case, the first time around we just liked the floorplan of the Montana better and felt the quality is quite good. The second time around, Keystone had impressed us with the way they stand behind the product, so that was an additional factor. Nu-wa is supposed to be good about that, too, but we had firsthand experience with Keystone. The other reason I personally shied away from HH was the weight of those rigs. At the time, they were wood-framed and were very heavy. I don't know if they've changed to aluminum frame or not. Check the weights and make sure your truck can handle it. If so, and the HH is the one you like best, go for it. It would not be a mistake to go either HH or Montana, in my estimation. Keep in mind your loaded weight will be considerably above the published UVW and pinweight but below the GVWR.

Montana_2992 · 02-02-2005, 05:19 PM

Hi Folks, thanks for the many responses. I haven't found an HH forum out there yet, but I haven't done an exhaustive search either.

Someone mentioned floorplans: the HH floorplan we liked the most is very similar to the Montana 3400, but the HH has a much larger vanity, which is located in the bathroom area, and not in the bedroom. We both hate having the vanity in the bedroom as it's too much like a cheap motel room

. Plus, the HH has real sliding privacy doors for the bath area (not those funky accordian doors). It also appears that the HH is more of a cold weather unit than the Montana, which could be an issue for us. Of course, the HH is also a pricier unit...

Please don't interpret this a put down of the Monty, which appears to be a very fine unit with an excellent value/dollar spent ratio. I'm just explaining our personal preferences, and let's face it, personal preference is what choosing a RV is all about.

If owning an RV is as half as much fun as searching for one, then we'll be hooked for life...

- Codfish -

stiles watson · 02-02-2005, 07:51 PM

FYI, our 3670 RL has wood doors between the bed and bath areas and between bath and kitchen. There are no accordian doors in the unit anywhere. I don't know about other floor plans.

Montana_2893 · 02-03-2005, 01:44 AM

Codfish I think you will find a large difference in price between Monatanas and HH (the later being much more expensive). Also I dont believe there are any dealers in MA , ME or NH (havent checked CT or NY). If you go on RV.NET there are some threads discussing Montanas vs HH. Good luck in your search.

padredw · 02-03-2005, 01:46 AM

Looks like we are 'on a roll' about this bedroom/bath separation with real doors. Yet the manufacturers still seem determined to push this "motel suite" concept where (as far as I am concerned) they insist on putting the bathroom in the bedroom.

For those who prefer that arrangement that's great. But those of us for whom this is an important consideration certainly have a right to make our views known -- especially to the manufacturers.

That's why I keep harping on this one note while it is being discussed in several topics on this forum.

Montana_2893 · 02-03-2005, 02:51 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by padredw

Looks like we are 'on a roll' about this bedroom/bath separation with real doors. Yet the manufacturers still seem determined to push this "motel suite" concept where (as far as I am concerned) they insist on putting the bathroom in the bedroom.
.

I have to agree Padre that is the one thing I dislike about the 3400RL floorplan. I wish they would have made it like the 3670 because I really like the kitchen layout with the island and all the cabinet storage the 3400 provides. Looking at the plans I cant see why they couldnt do it. I guess just like in boats there are always tradeoffs in whatever model you choose.

toolmanroy · 02-03-2005, 04:03 AM

Codfish you are in our old stomping grounds. I love Cape Cod in the off season. I went to Cape Cod Community College WAY BACK and I met Roy who was stationed at Otis AFB. We are itching to take a trip back that way but don't get much time off.

As for the HH, Roy and I also looked at it but the price was much higher and we did not feel we wanted to pay that much and not get much more than Montana offered for a more reasonable price especially in the size we were looking for. Just our observation for what it is worth.

As for the door separating the bedroom and bath area, I could not do without the wood door that separates ours.

sreigle · 02-03-2005, 04:03 AM

Our '03 3295RK has the vanity/sink in the bathroom rather than the bedroom and has double wood doors to separate bath area from bedroom. But we noticed the '05 model has the vanity in the bedroom and has the accordian curtain rather than the wood doors. Also, the washer/dryer area has moved to next to the front door, eliminating the entry closet where we hang coats and use for a significant amount of storage. And the curio cabinet is gone. Lots of storage lost in our opinion. My understanding is these changes were made to provide space for the kingbed option. While I like the idea of a kingbed we would not like the other changes. So, if we were to go with a brand new Montana we'd either go with the '05 3400RL or would try to find a new, leftover '04 3295RK.

I guess for some people the vanity in bedroom is not a big issue but for us it's really a major problem. Hopefully Keystone will figure out a way to get that vanity back in the bedroom. We could probably live with the accordian curtain although we really like the wood doors we have now.

I'm sure our opinion differs from those of others but that's what it's all about. Just wanted to express mine.

Montana_2992 · 02-03-2005, 04:17 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by PittsNhRv

Codfish I think you will find a large difference in price between Monatanas and HH (the later being much more expensive). Also I dont believe there are any dealers in MA , ME or NH (havent checked CT or NY). If you go on RV.NET there are some threads discussing Montanas vs HH. Good luck in your search.

Thanks for the "heads up" on the RV.NET discussion. Yes, I was aware of the considerable price difference between HH and Monty, we are fortunate enough that price is not an overiding concern... As to a dealer, I believe MacDonald's RV Center in Plainville, MA is a HH dealer, but I am not sure about that...

I'm going to have to check out the Keystone line-up more carefully at the next RV show - there seems to be some discrepancy between the floor plans on the Keystone site and the floor plans I found in this forum...

- Codfish -

Richard · 02-03-2005, 04:32 AM

We just came back from Tucson and Beaudry RV where they had the 05 Montanas on display right next to the Hitchhiker 05's.

The Hitchhikers are very nice, but I think my wife and I agreed that we still prefer the Montana over-all value for the money.

A couple of things you might not notice if you didn't OWN a Montana and look very closely at the Hitchhiker. The HH *appears* to have more actual hardwood used in the cabinets and trim, etc. The wall material is the same thickness or less and I'm still wondering why the HH weighs so much more.

The WEIGHT of the HH is a dealbreaker for us, because I don't want to buy a medium-duty truck just to haul it. Our new Ford F-350 is VERY nice and (imo) is more useable when not pulling the Montana than a MD truck would be, not to mention a whole lot cheaper!

The Montana build quality (even though we bought a "pre-enjoyed" 2004 model 3400RL) is VERY high, given the trade-offs between weight and strength. If it's true that HH is still "framed" with wood members (as someone previously mentioned) I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Montana over the HH because I've seen wrecks that revealed the framing on wood models and it's a real mess when wrecked. The Montana aluminum "cage" on wheels is impressive for it's light weight and strength.

After looking at the new HH's, I'm still wondering why they weigh so much more though! After all, real wood weighs LESS than OSB or particle board, doesn't it?

One other consideration I might mention...Since we just went through the "buying used" scenario, I can tell you that the used Montanas are selling a LOT faster than the used HH's. Both units appear to "age" just about equally, but the HH owners are asking a lot more and, as far as I can tell, waiting a lot longer to sell.....if at all.

Hth,

Richard

Virgil · 02-03-2005, 12:46 PM

I like the sliding wood doors between the bath / bedroom areas and the sliding door between the bath / living area. An advantage of having 3 separate areas that can be isolated is noise reduction. I usually get up early, get the coffee going and turn on the TV to see what's happening in the world. I close the doors and it really does make a diffence on the noise, especially up in the bedroom area. A side benefit is that it is healthier for me. WAKE NO WOMAN before her time,, lol. Just kidding. We had the folding cloth accordian door in a pprevious 5'r and i like the wood door much better.

Montana_3020 · 02-03-2005, 04:40 PM

Well guys, if you are planning on getting a Montana with the doors seperating the bed & bath area you will need to do it with a coach on the lot because we have been trying to deal on a 3650RK and the dealer indicated that anything ordered from here on out will not even have the accordian door. Like mentioned earlier for space of King and washer/dryer option. Have been looking at the HH also but they are a lot hevier because of the wood and outriggers. They do have several models with sliding doors for a bedroom suite. They also have one that has a side hallway with a big slide in the upstairs so that the whole wall is closet and the bed slide is there too. Awesome looking unit but it should be for 80k. Believe you would need a MD TV to pull it because of weight.

OntMont · 02-03-2005, 04:51 PM

We also favour the "private bathroom concept". That is one reason we chose a 3670. Also the fact that it is usable with the slides in. We have looked at Hitchikers too, and were also concerned about their weight, (and dislike the logo). But, we are sure that they are quality units, you just have to weigh the pros and cons and make your decsion. Don't overlook on-the-road usability with the slides in.

Montana_2992 · 02-03-2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by rono

Well guys, if you are planning on getting a Montana with the doors seperating the bed & bath area you will need to do it with a coach on the lot because we have been trying to deal on a 3650RK and the dealer indicated that anything ordered from here on out will not even have the accordian door...

I just noticed that Lady RV has recently posted the Montana 2005 floorplans, and it certainly appears that you are right - I don't see a bedroom privacy door (of any kind) on any model. If that's the case then Montana has just lost a potential customer, and in my opinion they have taken a big step backward in floorplan design

...

- Codfish -

H. John Kohl · 02-04-2005, 12:33 AM

I am with you-all, actually I like the walk way with the whole bathroom enclosed between the bedroom and the rest of the trailer. Have not seen that design in the Montana. Guess we are old "white hairs" and the business end is not listening to us.
Good luck all.

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